Jaguars Head Coach Search: Fred Taylor Endorses Byron Leftwich's Candidacy
After years of playing alongside Byron Leftwich, Fred Taylor finds himself in the same boat as many players and coaches who have been around Leftwich during his NFL career: in his corner.
Taylor, who played with Leftwich in Jacksonville from 2003-2006, took to Twitter this week to express his support and confidence in Leftwich's ability to go from offensive coordinator to head coach. And there is a possibility Leftwich will be making that leap with the same franchise that drafted both he and Taylor, the Jaguars' all-time leading rusher.
"I think he’s ready!" Taylor said on Twitter when asked for his thoughts on Leftwich as a head coach.
"As a player who sat directly next to the QBs in team meeting sessions, and shared the huddle with Byron, his smarts and sense of urgency, along with the ability to communicate should get him an opportunity here shortly."
Leftwich, who has been the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the last three seasons under Bruce Arians, is widely considered to be among the favorites for the Jaguars head coaching job.
The Jaguars have been searching for a head coach since firing former head coach Urban Meyer in Week 15, with Meyer lasting just 13 games as the Jaguars' head coach. Meyer, who went 2-11 during a controversial tenure that saw drama unfold on and off the field, was the prized addition of owner Shad Khan in 2021, but Khan now has to look elsewhere to amend the Meyer mistake.
Among the options to replace Meyer is Leftwich, who spent four seasons with the Jaguars after being selected in the first round of the 2003 NFL Draft. Leftwich's tenure with the Jaguars was a short one that ended in him being replaced at quarterback by David Garrard, but Leftwich made a strong impression on teammates both in and outside of Jacksonville throughout his playing career.
After a playing career that saw him spend time with the Falcons, Buccaneers, and Steelers, Leftwich was hired by Arians during the 2016 training camp to assist with coaching the Cardinals' quarterbacks, before eventually being hired as the team's full-time quarterbacks coach the next year. Leftwich was retained in his role by new head coach Steve Wilks in 2018, eventually being promoted to interim offensive coordinator following the firing of Mike McCoy.
After Wilks was fired following the 2018 season, Leftwich again reunited with Arians as Arians became the head coach of the Buccaneers after a year away from coaching. Leftwich was named Arians' offensive coordinator and was given play-calling duties as the Buccaneers saw Jameis Winston break every major franchise passing record in 2019.
Leftwich remained in his role the next two seasons as Winston was replaced by Tom Brady, with Brady going on to break all of the offensive records Winston set the year before as Tampa Bay marched toward a Super Bowl title. Since Leftwich's first year, the Buccaneer's offensive DVOA has improved year, going from No. 23, to No. 3, to No. 1 in 2021.
